I think one of my favourite part about books/reading in general is the community that grows and connects around a piece of writing. I'm always intrigued to find out which books are lining my friends' shelves or traveling around in their backpacks, especially if they're books with which I have a connection. A book in common is an instant bond...
So...what am I reading? Stick around and see....

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Manga Shakespeare - King Lear

After finishing, Fool, I looked up and saw a graphic novel version of King Lear on the shelf right above me. This was a Christmas gift I gave to Dan this past December. He's becoming a big fan of graphic novels; I enjoy them, but I feel that they flash by too quickly. I need more words to help me slow down and savour the story.

This version of Lear has its appeal, though. It relies solely on actual language from the most widely known version of Shakespeare's play. Where it takes its departure is in the setting: this version is set in early days of colonization in America.

This would be a great text to read in parallel with the "original" (I use "original" for lack of a better word, because the version usually used is a conflation of two scripts). I can see how the visuals would help a student better understand what was happening in the script version, but I can also see how the manga version on its own could be a little tricky to follow.